DRIVING THE DAY

Every day’s a test for Theresa May right now and she navigated the potential pitfalls of yesterday’s radio phone-in reasonably smoothly. Next up: PMQs, a string of ministers up in front of committees and, trickiest of all, a meeting of her backbench troops.

SPOTLIGHT ON HAMMOND: All eyes are on Philip Hammond this morning as he makes his first appearance before the treasury committee of the new parliament. Central topics will be Brexit, of course, and the state of the public finances, with budget day exactly six weeks away. Writing in the Times Hammond risks further enraging Brexiteers by rejecting their calls — reported in yesterday’s Sun — for him to pledge billions of pounds to prepare Britain for leaving the EU without a deal. “We are planning for every outcome and we will find any necessary funding, and we will spend it only when its responsible to do so,” the chancellor responds.

Easy ride? Hammond may be helped out by the notable imbalance of MPs on the committee. Chair Nicky Morgan is an arch-Remainer, along with at least seven of its 10 other members. The show begins at 9.45 a.m. Live stream here.

Downing Street: Hammond’s performance will be watched nervously over in No. 10, as Theresa May prepares for her first prime minister’s questions since her conference meltdown. A potentially bigger moment comes at 5 p.m. though, when the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs meets to discuss the dismal proceedings in Manchester.

Show of support: Ministers, whips and MPs who spoke to Playbook last night all expect a show of support for May. One MP tells Playbook: “Most MPs have been saying how much support their members have given the PM. I even had non-Tory voters emailing me to complain she had been unfairly victimized over a cough. I honestly think she is in a strong position.” A senior minister adds: “They will rally round the PM. There has been no sign yet of [plotter-in-chief] Grant Shapps this week.” Another backbencher agreed: “I suspect people will rally round. There will still be the renegades, but I think Theresa will get pretty near universal support. For now, anyway.” A whips office source insists there is “huge support” for the PM.

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No backlash: May’s refusal to tell LBC presenter Iain Dale how she would vote in another EU referendum has not provoked criticism from Brexiteers. Her comments on LBC Radio make the fronts of the Guardian, the Telegraph and the FT, while the Sun revives the old “Theresa Maybe” jibe for its page 2 lead. But on ITV’s new politics show “After The News” last night, Iain Duncan Smith told presenter Emma Barnett the PM was right not to answer the question. “We had the vote. If she suddenly says she’s going to vote Remain or Leave it reignites the whole argument,” he said. “She’s quite right not to.” In today’s Daily Mail Peter Bone is equally dismissive, shrugging that he “never regarded the PM as being either strongly in favor of EU membership or strongly against.”

Boris under fire? A more likely target at tonight’s 1922 will be the foreign secretary, blamed by many for undermining the PM. “Quite a few are sharpening their knives to get Boris,” one minister texted Playbook last night. “The only issue is — is it better to keep him in the tent, pissing out?”

ICYMI LAST NIGHT

GREEN FLAG: A few hours after the LBC phone-in, Theresa May’s de-facto deputy Damian Green proved more than happy to answer the question that the PM ducked. Speaking on BBC Newsnight he said “it would have been” better if Britain had voted Remain. “I was on the board of the ‘Stronger In’ campaign,” the first secretary of state told presenter Emily Maitlis. “Nobody fought stronger than me for Remain. I don’t resile from my views. But it’s a slightly silly question. There isn’t going to be another referendum. The public took their view. I’m a democrat.”

MEANWHILE IN BRUSSELS:

GETTING TECHNICAL: Brexit negotiators have an empty agenda today, though technical talks between the two sides will continue. POLITICO’s flu-ridden Charlie Cooper texted from the Belgian capital in the early hours with the following message: “There may be nothing on the official agenda today, but don’t let that fool you. British officials insist progress is being made, particularly on the issues of citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland. The blank on the calendar is being explained as a device to allow ‘flexibility’ for technical talks. Tech talks are all very well of course, but bear in mind this was supposed to be the week of a breakthrough to ‘sufficient progress.’ Instead, we heard Donald Tusk say yesterday that there’s no certainty we’ll be there even by December. Things are not where either side had hoped they’d be.”

Britain’s new BFF: Michel Barnier wants to start exploring transition and trade talks with Britain next week but is being blocked by the German government, Bruno Waterfield reports in the Times. He paints Barnier as Britain’s “best hope” of moving discussions on to the next stage, but says Germany believes much more can still be squeezed out of Theresa May on the so-called bill. “Germany wants more, and it wants it more or less in writing,” one diplomat tells Waterfield. “That is toxic for the British.”

Diary note: German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts EU Council President Donald Tusk in Berlin this evening to discuss next week’s crunch EU summit.

CATALONIA ON THE BRINK

CABINET MEETS: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will chair an emergency meeting of his Cabinet this morning following Catalonia’s suspended declaration of independence. Rajoy must decide whether to take the nuclear option of imposing direct control on the region, using the never-before activated Article 155 of the Spanish constitution. To do so would almost certainly mean riot police and possibly even military personnel on the streets of Catalonia, risking further violent conflict.

Suspended sentence: It follows Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont’s historic address to the regional parliament last night where he claimed he now has a mandate for independence but said such a declaration will be suspended, pending talks with Madrid. POLITICO’s Diego Torres says the Catalan leader has tried to fudge his big moment, and risks infuriating allies and enemies alike.

Message to Madrid: Puigdemont said: “I want to send you a message of calmness and respect; of the will for political dialogue and agreement. We’re not criminals. We’re not mad. We’re not carrying out a coup … We’re normal people who want to be able to vote.”

Counter-point: From Xavier García Albiol, leader of Rajoy’s Popular Party in the Catalan chamber: “What do you want us to negotiate? How to blow up national sovereignty?”

TODAY IN WESTMINSTER

COMMITTEE CORRIDOR: Chancellor Philip Hammond is the first of a number of ministers up in front of committees today. Highlights: Matthew Taylor discusses his review of modern work practices with the Business Committee (10 a.m.) … Women’s Minister Anne Milton and Equalities Minister Nick Gibb give evidence to the Woman and Equalities Committee (10.30 a.m.) … Culture Secretary Karen Bradley gives evidence to the Culture Committee (2.30 p.m.) … Senior Ministry of Defense officials including Permanent Secretary Stephen Lovegrove give evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on Britain’s new aircraft carriers … Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and his entire ministerial team give evidence to the Communities and Local Government Committee (4 p.m.).

CYBER-TAX: Internet firms will be asked to pay a voluntary levy to combat cyber-bullying and online abuse, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley will announce today. She is publishing a draft “internet safety strategy,” details of which remain scarce. Bloomberg’s Kitty Donaldson has a decent write-up here.

ART OF THE DEAL: Boris Johnson hosts Iranian Vice President Dr Ali Akbar Salehi at the foreign office today as Britain fights to save the Iran nuclear deal. Johnson last night again gave his firm backing to the deal, with Donald Trump poised to decertify America’s commitments this weekend. Theresa May spoke with Trump by phone last night, telling him the Iran deal is “vitally important for regional security.” Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is expected to make the same point on a visit to the White House later today.

GIFT OF LIFE: West Midlands MEP Sion Simon saved the life of close friend and fellow Labour politician by donating one of his kidneys, the Mirror reveals today. Simon donated the organ to Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood in 2014 as he struggled with renal failure. It follows the revelation last month — also a Kevin Maguire scoop — that Jeremy Corbyn’s Chief of Staff Karie Murphy donated a kidney to save the life of a stranger. Writing in the Mirror today, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says introducing an “opt-out” organ donor system “could save many hundreds of lives a year.”

ORDER ORDER: Speaker John Bercow will give a lecture this evening on his plans for reforming parliament. The speech is titled “Opening up the usual channels: next steps for reform of the House of Commons” and takes place at 6.30 p.m. in Speaker’s House.

WE CAN BE HEROES: Also taking place in Speaker’s House today is the launch of the annual Pride of Britain Awards. In attendance will be Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson, plus TV presenters Carol Vorderman, Ben Shepherd and Kate Garraway.

FRAUD SQUAD: Theresa May hosts Bank of England Govenor Mark Carney at No. 10 this afternoon for a meeting on economic crime. Also attending are Chancellor Philip Hammond, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Attorney General Jeremy Wright and Justice Secretary David Lidington.

McBREXIT: Busy day for Scottish Brexit Minister Michael Russell, who unveils a new report highlighting concerns from Scottish business leaders about the impact of leaving the EU. He will also appear before the Scottish Affairs Committee in Westminster at 1.30 p.m. to discuss the impact of Brexit on devolution. And later he will attend the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, a U.K. government initiative designed to keep the devolved nations up to speed with Brexit talks.

CAPTAIN CAM-ERICA: David Cameron hops another 1,000 miles across the U.S. to speak in Boston tonight, his third big-ticket American speaking engagement of the week. Good for the air miles. The venue is Boston’s magnificent Symphony Hall, a 117-year-old classical music venue which seats 2,500. And yes, it’s a sell-out, though the audience have signed up for a seven-lecture series so it’s not all about Dave. A season ticket for all seven lectures costs up to $515.

Key line: “Owing to cabinet divisions over the length and nature of the Brexit transition period, ministers have spent more time negotiating with each other than member states.”

BEYOND THE M25

Berlin

BIG BAD WOLF? The departure of German Finance Minister is being celebrated by many across Europe. But writing for POLITICO, Eurasia Group’s Mujtaba Rahman says he will be sorely missed.

Trump special from D.C.

TESTING TIMES: Forbes last night published an hour-long interview with Donald Trump, in which he challenged his own Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to an IQ test — CNN’s Jim Acosta says he wasn’t joking — and unveiled plans for a new “America First” economic bill. Highlights:

On Rex Tillerson allegedly calling him a moron: “I think it’s fake news. But if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win.”

On keeping firms in the U.S.: “I have another bill … an economic-development bill … which nobody knows about … It’s both a carrot and a stick. It is an incentive to stay. But if you leave, it’s going to be very tough for you to think you’re going to be able to sell your product back into our country.”

On the stock market soaring 20 percent since his inauguration: “It’s 25 since the election. You have to go since the election.”

On Caribbean storms: “I’ve gotten very high marks for the hurricanes.”

On foreign trade deals: “I like bilateral deals. You can have it this way and do much more business. And if it doesn’t work out with a country, you give them a 30-day notice, and you either renegotiate or not.”

LONDON CALLING

Westminster weather: ☁️💨☔️ Breezy with heavy-set cloud for most of the day. Rain this evening.

A bridge too far: The London Assembly’s oversight committee takes evidence on Boris Johnson’s aborted garden bridge project at 2 p.m. from review chair Margaret Hodge and TfL commissioner Mike Brown. The scheme was scrapped earlier this year at a cost of nearly £50 million.

New opportunities: Jeremy Corbyn is advertising for a new political secretary as trusted ally Katy Clark switches focus to leading a sweeping review of the party rulebook. The role involves being Corbyn’s de facto enforcer. The job advert states: “The post-holder will be responsible for ensuring the political actions and requirements of the Leader’s Office are delivered effectively and efficiently.”

New ventures: BBC Director of News James Harding will depart one of the most powerful media jobs in the country next year to set up his own news venture. He told staff: “There is some journalism the BBC can’t and probably shouldn’t do. I am going to start a new media company with a distinct approach to the news and a clear point of view.” BBC story here.

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